We were awarded a £500 grant from Magic Little Grants for Winter’s Eve.
The money was spent on funding the children’s activities in the village hall, the festive homes trail and carols around the village. It also enabled the refresh of the Christmas lights outside the hall and the telephone box.
The community came together and celebrated Winter’s Eve thanks to the grant we received. It improved wellbeing, community participation and got us outdoors to enjoy our outdoor space during the dark days of December!
After last week’s Carols Round the Village, another Winter’s Eve has come to an end. We can now snuggle down and look forward to Christmas – whether you are a big party animal or a small family get together person or a put up the shutters and enjoy the peace and quiet individual.
There has been some terrific feedback about the activities, especially the pleasure of seeing the look of excitement and joy on the faces of the children of the village when Santa Claus flew in on his sleigh, and the spectacular display of festive lights.
Enjoy the final event of Winter’s Eve 2022
Carols will be sung in four locations – and, like a Pied Piper’s entourage, you are welcome to follow the singers as they make their way around the village. The times and locations are as follows:
Thursday, 15 December
• 6.00pm Green railings before the turning for the Church/Bush (Pinklands/The Lodge)
• 6.20pm Telephone box
• 6.40pm No Man’s Land / Pump Garden
• 7.00pm Green on the Crescent
Carols will include:
• Hark, the herald angels
• O come all ye faithful
• Away in a manger
• Once In Royal David’s City
• Silent night
• Jingle bells
• We wish you a merry Christmas
• Ding dong merrily on high
Please take care:
• Wrap up warm
• Be visible
• Bring a torch (so you can be seen and also to read the lyrics!)
Carol Service
6.30pm, Tuesday 20 December
Christmas Eve Service
Eucharist, 9.30pm Saturday 24 December
(Please note that this is at an earlier time than in previous years and there is no service on Christmas morning. The Church will be open in the morning on Christmas Day for private prayer).
St Hilary’s Celebration of Winter’s Eve starts on Sunday 4 December
The Festive Homes Trail will take place from 5pm to 7pm on Sunday 11 December – a lovely stroll around the village to see them all lit up and sparkling will be joyful and rewarding
Like last year, there will be no competition, but there will be recognition of the best effort
There are 17 properties on festive home trail: click here to download the map as a PDF: Festive Home Map
The important bits:
• Please take care when walking round the village
• Wear visible clothing and take a torch
• For safety, it is highly recommended that you drive to East Down Farmhouse and The Nest, especially if you have little ones
• At Ffynnon Wen, walk up the side to see the lights in the back garden and the roaring fire in Bresingamen
If you cannot find a property please call or text 07977 492926
And finally, keep an eye out for the surprises that Santa’s elves might have left outside the properties!
From 1st to 12th December there will be a collection point in the telephone box for items for the Vale FoodBank. In these difficult times, when donations have been reducing, our help is needed more than ever. This year’s list includes christmas treats and store cupboard staples.
The list below is suggested items for each day, but please donate what you can, when you can:
Day 1 Christmas crackers and napkins
Day 2 Chocolate selection boxes, tree decorations, sweets
Day 3 Mince pies, small christmas cakes, stollen
Day 4 Tinned ham and red salmon
Day 5 Tinned and bottled vegetables
Day 6 Savoury snacks and crisps
Day 7 Deserts: jelly, tinned fruit, Angel Delight, custard, etc
Day 8 Hot drinks: tea, coffee, hot chocolate, long life milk
Day 9 Cold drinks: squash, long life fruit juice, fizzy drinks
Day 10 Shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, disposable razors, male and female deodorant
Day 11 Dried instant meals: pot noodles, instant noodles, etc
Day 12 Biscuits
St Hilary’s celebration of Winter’s Eve is a unique programme of events where villagers come together in a series of activities to mark the onset of dark nights and roaring fires.
The pivot of activities is on Sunday 4 December, when we will have the traditional children’s activities, switch on of the Christmas lights and, very exciting, a visit from Father on his sleigh!!! In addition, there will be Festive homes and Carols around the village.
You can help by making a donation to support Winter’s Eve: Christmas lights and decorations, insurance, goodies for children, hall hire, publicity, materials, and equipment. A donation will also be made to each of the professional performers.
Surplus funds will go towards activities planned for 2023: village events, cut clear and clean (3Cs) and initiatives in the telephone box, plus the village insurance.
Go to: www.gofundme.com/f/winters-eve2022 – if you prefer to donate by cash or cheque (payable to St Hilary Forum) speak to Terry Dennis.
If you enjoyed last year’s events, please support Winter’s Eve and next year’s activities by donating generously – it is part of what makes St Hilary such a special place to live.
Finally, we have an enthusiastic team of volunteers committed to Winter’s Eve, but everybody is welcome to get involved – just ask!!!
Contact: